Sailor Moon Chaos
by Elvish Vamp
Summary: Rewritten. Chaos never returned to the minds of everyone, instead reaching out and stealing the henshin powers of the senshi. Luckily, the world is prepared for just such a plot. Please R&R!
1. History

Sailor Moon Chaos  
History  
By Elvish Vamp and Silent Angel  
  
Many years ago, before even Sailor Pluto and the time-space continuum existed, there was balance. This balance brought life to all living things under the guise of the galaxy's cauldron. New stars and planets were born out of it, and began to flourish. Over the ages, cycles of wars and peace, life and death, hope and despair began to run together. The balance was becoming sentient, and wanted to join these cycles; it wanted to watch the races learn and die out, only to learn again. Little by little it created a vessel with which to contain it's essence. After over a thousand eons it finally had created a body that could pass through and change slightly to match the current way of the human species.  
  
Humans were an amazing species for the balance to study. Never before had a species managed to adapt to the changing of the seasons (For as the balance knew, each race's seasons were only mimes of the real seasons of Birth, Understanding, Acceptance, and Death.) and continue to grow, taking less and less time to regain it's former power. Given even two or three more years (Years had only passed when the four seasons had been completed.) the human race might even challenge the season of death. The balance sincerely did not want this, because then it would have to destroy the poor beings. However, their insistence to live gave it the perfect body to form. As a human it would not be obtrusive to any others.  
  
The night between Death and Birth came, and at the stroking hour, it filled the girl's body and thus created the first Sailor Senshi. At the void between times when all things would hide, and yet still be killed ruthlessly by the bringer of death, a power swept through the time. A girl soldier cut through the remnants of the last world with her scythe, and died. She was reborn, the second Senshi to appear from this power propelled into motion by the balance.  
  
Deep in a system not even the balance penetrated, a woman with long green hair and a black fuku was waiting. She had been brought to life by the power, and understood her duty. She would maintain the position the balance had held for so long, and prevent the cycle from being disrupted.  
  
***  
  
Several centuries later a woman stumbled into Selenity's palace requesting sanctuary.  
  
***  
  
"Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" It wasn't often that Kagami was reduced to begging, but then again, it wasn't often that you were the most sought out person in the universe for information you didn't even know. Almost instantly she was brought by escort to be brought to the queen's room. 'I'm a mess.' The years of running had finally taken their toll, dulling the shine of her hair and eyes and leaving a haggard look to her appearance. Finally her escorts stopped, allowing her a few moments to compose herself outside of Selenity's bedchamber. She smiled in gratitude at the Sailor Senshi next to her, who also smiled, but reassuringly. Taking several deep breathes, she stepped inside.  
  
Inside the room shone with the light that was Selenity and her daughter. "What wong?" The princess immediately rushed over, tripping over her gown. It was still hard for her four-year-old body to adjust to the clothing she was put in each morning. Kagami smiled and patted the young girl's head. It had been a long time since such closeness had brought anything but pain. She glanced back up to meet Selenity's gaze.   
  
"I need a place to stay. There are people and other... things after me. I don't have any idea why. They just keep talking about a balance." The princess, not understanding the seriousness of the situation, laughed and pulled on Kagami's arm.   
  
"Let's go! I want to show you my room!"  
  
The queen smiled at the two. "Go ahead. My daughter seems quite taken with you. You may stay as long as you like, but they might find you."  
  
"Is there anything you can do to stop them?"  
  
"I'll try. Go enjoy yourself."  
  
***  
  
During the years that past, the princess grew to be even more beautiful than her mother. She had long blonde hair done up in two buns on the side of her head, along with wide crystalline blue eyes. She had many friends and courtiers. Always though was her best friend by her side. Kagami had also grown up, but time was slowed tremendously for her. The only signs of time's passage were her attitude having become more playful under the princess's influence and several silvery streaks in her hair. No one took these as signs of aging however, because the silver shone more wonderfully than the rest of the gold that was her hair.   
  
Only a year later she left. The only reminder that she had ever even arrived yelling 'sanctuary' so many years ago was a large ornate mirror. This mirror was hidden deep within the royal chambers where not even the queen set foot after it's creation. So long as this mirror remained, the balance was protected. Nothing could really 'destroy' Kagami, nor could it sense her life force.   
  
Kagami's disappearance hurt the princess, but her place was filled in by the senshi from the surrounding planets. No one knew the true reason for her departure save for ten senshi. All but one existed on the dark side of the moon. All avoided that side, so the senshi were left in peace to protect Queen Selenity's second daughter. One of these senshi was Kagami. None of these senshi, including the youngest princess, the princess of the moon's shadow, should have existed. Unfortunately, the human race's will to survive brought them into existence. When the moon kingdom was destroyed they also left for Earth, in search of their princess who had died along with her sister. Their story begins with chaos's defeat. 


	2. Prologue

Sailor Moon Chaos  
Prologue  
By Elvish Vamp and Silent Angel  
  
When Princess Selenity dismissed chaos to its rightful place, she thought it would stay there. The thing is, chaos doesn't like to be trapped where it's supposed to be, and soon it was out again. Chaos has once again collected itself, but it has learned this time. It remembers its original mistake, and so seals Galaxia away in a mirror lost ages ago on the moon. Its second mistake was letting the senshi have a hope of fighting it. That was easily remedied. No longer hindered by a senshi's will and body, it goes by, pulling the henshin powers from each soldier and sending them to a system of eternal darkness. Only two figures retain their right to transform, but even they cannot help. They have been corrupted, and now serve the chaos. Thousands of shadows begin attacking the planets, destroying everything. With no powers to protect them, the senshi fall, one by one. In desperation, the Starlights return to Earth for help, and resume their former positions as Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki.   
  
Unbeknownst to chaos, however, all the henshin powers are separating and recombining to create ten stars. These stars must travel through to senshi made of the solar system. They must find the ten senshi that never lost their powers, and enter their bodies, making their powers unbelievably stronger. Already the other planets have been dismissed and everything is centered on Earth. The final showdown is to take place here, and if it is lost, there will be no survivors.   
  
Inside the mirror Galaxia is able to watch the system's plan start into action. However, the last star is lost, and unable to find the senshi it needs. If it doesn't find the solitary soldier of reflection, made long ago and whose life depends on a mirror, the plan might not work. If her powers remain based in that mirror, the same one Galaxia is sealed in, she will die, and that would be the breaking point to kill every other senshi.   
  
It must hurry... Already the Earth is suffering, a fact well known by a man named Chiba Mamouru... 


	3. Act 1: A new evil! Senshi lose their hen...

Sailor Moon Chaos  
Act 1: A new evil! Senshi lose their henshin...  
By Elvish Vamp and Silent Angel  
  
The wind whispers untold futures as a dark light creeps over a woman with long blonde hair pulled up in two buns. The darkness settles into her brooch. In her sleep, the girl's dreams of happiness turn into nightmares of her past. A brilliant white light that embraces everything flies out of her brooch and heads to another solar system far away.  
  
A doctor with short blue hair pulled back by silver barrettes is giving her patient a shot, so neither notice her crystal, light blue, leaving her body.  
  
A priestess is praying in front of a fire. Her hair is tied back, braided, so it does not ignite. She sees a vision of bright lights in a galaxy so dark that even they do not light it up, and her crystal, red, goes there as well.  
  
"Here you go ma'am." The woman wipes her hands off and sets to work baking more cinnamon rolls. Her green eyes seem to laugh as her chestnut colored ponytail whips some flour onto the floor. As she bends over to wipe it up, a bright green crystal flies out of her back to join the other crystals.  
  
The pretty suited sailor soldier of love and justice, Sailor V dies and the words 'Game Over' flash on the screen as a cell phone rings. The newest idol sighs, and clicks on the phone. So intent is she on her conversation that she never notices the pale orange crystal brushing past her blonde hair.  
  
"Butterfly!" A teenager of about 18 is playing in a field, chasing butterflies. She has short black hair and violet eyes. When a purple light surrounds her, she stops, and watches as a new butterfly flits across the field into the sky.  
  
The aqua-marine glow of a violinist also turns into a butterfly and leaves. She sees it from the corner of her eye, but continues playing for her audience.  
  
The guardian of time is standing outside the gate when she disappears. She reappears in the field and looks around, seeing her old friend. When her butterfly leaves, she chases after it, but is unable to capture it. She sees a woman with getting out of a car and runs towards her.  
  
The woman getting out of her car stops as she sees her friend rushing toward her. Suddenly her friend pulls out a staff, and the woman ducks. The sound of glass breaking fills the air. The young woman looks up and sees the shards of a crystal floating in front of her. A sort of warmth enters her as the energy from the crystal returns, and the shards fade away.  
  
A man turns over in bed with a hacking cough. His crystal has left a long time ago, leaving his body weak and in pain.  
  
Three senshi appear in what, many years ago, was their room. Suddenly three stars leave their bodies and disappear. The next moment the idols Seiya, Taiki, and Yaten, are standing alone.  
  
Setsuna looks worried. A meeting of the past senshi is needed.  
.................................................................  
  
"So a weird light left all of us?" Usagi was unusually quiet. She held her brooch, repeatedly opening and closing it. She had noticed this morning that its previous light had gone out. Suddenly they heard screams. Rushing outside they found what looked like a senshi dressed all in black attacking several tourists. "Sailor Shadow!" It cried out, and it sent a blast at the group of former senshi. "Mercury Crystal Power!" "Mars Crystal Power!" "Venus Crystal Power!" "Jupiter Crystal Power!" "Neptune Planet Power!" "Uranus Planet Power!" "Pluto Planet Power!" "Saturn Planet Power!" "Moon Eternal-" The ten voices joined for the last words. "Make-UP!" Then came three different voices. "Don't bother. Your henshin are gone." True to their word, the group remained untransformed except... "Uranus! Since the rest of us can't transform, don't you think you'd better attack?" Michiru's voice broke through Haruka's haze. "World Shaking!" The so-called 'Sailor Shadow' disappeared, and a star seed appeared. The star seed immediately broke and a strange dark energy flew out of it.  
  
"A phage?" Usagi turned to look at the Starlights. "Do you know what's going on?"  
"No. Uranus is the only senshi in the galaxy that we've seen whose powers weren't taken away" Seiya sighed. "Our princess sent us here while she continued to protect her people. She said that this is where the world would happen and we needed to try to help."  
"Hmmm... Mamo-chan fell sick and went into a state of unconsciousness a few months ago. We haven't been able to help him," Rei pondered aloud.  
Usagi looks up at Seiya. "Maybe you could meet us all in America. We'll be vacationing there for a few months." The Starlights looked at her. "Well, I'm thinking of moving there for a while so..."   
The Starlights nodded. "Hai." 


	4. Act 2: Light Up the Night! A Shining Sta...

Sailor Moon Chaos  
Act 2: Light Up the Night! A Shining Star Arrives!  
By Elvish Vamp and Silent Angel  
  
Himeno Hikari, a 14 year old girl with straight brown hair barely past shoulder length and brown eyes, raised her shotgun and aimed it at the huge, ugly monster that stood at the other end of the hallway.  
  
"Sssttaarrrsss," it growled at her, then raised the rocket launcher it was holding onto its shoulder. "I'll beat you this time!" Kari yelled. After a few shots, the rocket launcher finally exploded.  
  
Behind her, Aino Minako screamed. Minako was the newest idol, the legendary senshi Sailor V, and the person who had adopted Kari about a month ago without knowing what she was getting herself into. Kari had learned more about her and her friends in that time than that psychotic stalker ever would.  
  
"You should have knocked," she said calmly, not taking her eyes off the screen. Minako, soaked and still standing in the doorway, was extremely annoyed. This wasn't the first time Kari had set a water balloon above the door to fall on anyone who dared to open it, also known as her "security system".  
  
"How many times do have I t-" The monster suddenly ran at Kari. "Hey! You cheater!" "Kari! Listen to me for once!" If she had heard Minako, she showed no signs of it. Minako sighed. "Hino's on the phone."  
  
Okibino Hinotama, more commonly known as Hino, was Hikari's best friend and always had been as far as either of them could remember. She had long black hair and dark red eyes. She was a talented guitarist and a strategic planner.  
  
Minako tossed the phone at Kari. "Catch." She managed to turn and catch it, but when she turned back the words "YOU DIED" appeared on the screen in big, red letters. Upset over once again being defeated by the monster, Kari exited the game.  
  
"What?" she said coldly into the phone.  
  
"That's a great way to answer the phone, Kari. I prefer 'moshimoshi', though. It works better."  
  
"What do you want Hino-chan?"  
  
"Well, I want to go to the arcade, but I obviously can't beat all your high scores without you being there to see it."  
  
"You? Beating my scores? I wouldn't count on it."  
  
"I would."  
  
"See you there then."  
  
"Ja ne."  
  
She hung up the phone and immediately started for the door. She didn't reach it before Minako spotted her, though. "Where are you going?" she demanded. "Out," Kari called over her shoulder and hurried out the door before Minako could even think of responding.  
  
* * * *  
  
Hinotama was already playing the Sailor V game when Kari arrived. She had taken all of five minutes to get to the arcade and already Hino had started playing games! It was amazing how impatient she was.  
  
Kari glanced at the screen. "Your not even close to my high score, Hino-chan."  
  
"Oh yeah? Watch this, Kari-chan!" With that Hino started firing as fast as she could. Not fast enough, it seemed. A few seconds later the words "GAME OVER" flashed on the screen. Kari laughed out loud. "It worked last time," Hino muttered.  
  
"So, are you ready to go to America?" she asked, trying to change the subject of her failure.  
  
"Do honestly think I'll ever be ready for a vacation of rabid fans and psycho stalkers?"  
  
Kari hadn't wanted to go and only agreed because Minako told her Hino could come.  
  
"It can't be that bad."  
  
"You have no idea."  
  
* * * *  
  
Finally, after a few hours, Hino said she had to leave. Kari checked her watch. It was 9:00. She decided it was time for her to leave, too.  
  
She found the streets silent and deserted. As Kari strolled toward her house, she stared up at the full moon, absentmindedly fingering the star-shaped crystal in her pocket. She had found it only two days ago, just lying on the ground, and had become a bit attached to it. It was the size of her fist, clear as glass, and lighter than a feather.  
  
Suddenly a sailor senshi, dressed completely in black, appeared in front of her. "Sailor Shadow!" it cried, sending the usual blast toward Kari. She reflexively held her arms in front of her in a useless attempt to block it, there was no way she could dodge, and squeezed her eyes shut.  
  
A few seconds pasted before she even dared to open her eyes. When she did, she found she was still holding the crystal. It was emitting a bright light. Kari stared at it a moment before looking back up at the phage. It seemed to be shocked and, strangely, afraid. She ran and didn't stop until she was in the house with the door locked.  
  
In the shadows, a black kitten with bright green eyes watched this. "That must be her," it whispered to itself, sprinting down the street in the direction Kari had gone.  
  
* * * *  
  
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"  
  
"What?" Minako asked. Kari glanced out the window, then took a moment to calm herself down before answering. "That thing! It said 'Sailor Shadow' or something like that."  
  
Minako looked worried. "A phage. They've been appearing all over and attacking people."  
  
"Can't you and your friends kill them or something?" She shook her head. "It's not that simple. We have to find the source of them, but even if we do there's not much we can do about it." Kari had forgotten that almost all the senshi's henshin were gone, so they couldn't transform.  
  
Sighing, she walked past Minako and into her room, only to find a black kitten sitting on her bed. The kitten had bright green eyes and a golden star on her forehead. "How'd you get in here?" Kari asked, not really expecting an answer.  
  
She did answer, though. "You left the window open," she said. This surprised Kari, but not as much as it would've sommeone else. This wasn't the first talking cat she had ever seen.   
  
"What do you want?" she asked uncertainly.  
  
"Well, that's a long story, but you don't need to know everything at the moment. You've obviously seen those phages-" Kari interrupted her. "If that's what this is about, then you should talk to Minako, not me."  
  
"I'm pretty sure I'm talking to the right person. Let me explain. My name is Gemini. I'm here to find one of the sailor senshi. I've been watching you for a while now. I wasn't sure, but after that stunt you pulled…" She trailed off.  
  
"What stunt?" Kari demanded. "If you mean that thing at school last week, I didn't mean to do it. I-"  
  
"Not that," Gemini said, looking annoyed, "But I know you did that on purpose. I meant that stunt with the crystal! That was very dangerous! What did you do that for anyway?"  
  
Kari pulled the crystal she had used against the phage earlier out of her pocket and examined it "You mean with this? I should probably ask Minako about that."  
  
"The senshi I'm looking for, Sailor Star, is the only person who can use that crystal."  
  
A moment passed in silence. "You must have figured out who that is by now," Gemini said.  
  
Kari still wasn't convinced. "How do you know she's the only one who can use it? Has anyone else ever tried?"  
  
Gemini hesitated before answering. "Well…no, but…I know you're the only one who can use it. And you're still stubborn, as always."  
  
"Prove it, then."  
  
"Fine. I will. Hold up that crystal and say 'Star Crystal Power'."  
  
Kari did as she was told, holding up the crystal and saying, "Star Crystal Power! Make-UP!" It worked. A moment later she was wearing an outfit similar to the other senshi's. It had a yellow collar and skirt, white gloves lined with light blue that cover her forearm, but stopped at her wrist, and short white boots, also lined with blue, that had a yellow star centered at the top of each of them. The crystal took the place of the brooch, but there were no bows anywhere on the outfit. As for the tiara, she didn't have one, but there was a golden star, identical to Gemini's, on her forehead. She let out a startled shriek as she realized this.  
  
* * * *  
  
Minako heard the shriek coming from Kari's room and, thinking something bad had happened given the previous events of the evening, dashed into the room, only to find Kari in her fuku and Gemini sitting on the bed with a triumphant look on her face.  
  
"Told you," the kitten gloated, but Kari's attention was elsewhere.  
  
"Umm… hi Minako. What brings you here?"  
  
"Two things, actually. One, you were screaming and two, I live here."  
  
"I was not screaming!" she protested, adding, "I was shrieking."  
  
"Same thing."  
  
* * * *  
  
"She has awakened," Serpens observed. An evil grin crossed his face. This was what he was waiting for. It was finally time to find out which side Sailor Star was on.  
  
* * * *  
  
The next night, Kari went out with Gemini looking for one of the phages that were attacking people. Much to Gemini's dismay, she had already transformed.  
  
"When you see a phage, just say 'Shooting Star' to defeat it," Gemini told her for what must have been the hundredth time. "I know, I know," Sailor Star replied, rolling her eyes. "I think they're asleep. I haven't seen one yet." The moment she said that, though, a phage appeared in front of them. "Sailor Shadow!" it cried, but before it could send it's usually blast at them, Sailor Star yelled "Shooting Star!" A bright white ball of fire materialized in front of her and flew at the phage, incinerating it on contact.  
  
She said nothing for a few moments, then, "Do you think another one will come if we stay here?" "No," Gemini answered. "Come on, we're not finished yet." She started walking, Sailor Star obediently following.  
  
Serpens watched this from the shadows. It was obvious she didn't know what she was doing. That meant she probably didn't know what was going on. It also meant she would be easier to convince.  
  
* * * *  
  
Kari woke in the middle of the night with the strangest feeling that someone was watching her. Reaching over, she turned on a lamp on her dresser. Sure enough, there was a guy standing in one corner of the room. He had short, dark blue hair, blue eyes the same shade, and looked like he couldn't be more than two years older than her.  
  
Serpens smiled as she noticed him. "My name is Serpens," he told her. "And I have something to offer you."  
  
"What?" she asked. "How did you get in here?" There was defiantly something bad about him. Evil even.  
  
"Let me explain. Have you ever heard of the Sailor Wars?"  
  
Kari was suspicious and confused. "No." He nodded. "That's what I thought. The Sailor Wars are a series of wars, all of which involve the sailor senshi. These wars have been going on ever since the senshi appeared and are still going on today."  
  
"And you're point is?"  
  
"I'm part of a group that wants to stop these wars," he told her, "and we need you're help." 


	5. Act 3: Another Attack! Usagi’s Younger S...

Sailor Moon Chaos  
Act 3: Another Attack! Usagi's Younger Sister  
By Elvish Vamp and Silent Angel  
  
When you first enter the orphanage you look around and smile. All around are children playing and building friendships, ignorant to the fact that many of their parents abandoned them. It takes several minutes to notice the small group of teenagers by the fence. In fact, if their presence wasn't so strong, no one would notice at all. They never seem to move from that spot where none of the cameras can see.   
  
At first this worried the nurses taking care of them. It wasn't right for two or three children to just sit there. However, after a time they were forgotten about, and when inquiries were made, the adopters were carefully diverted to other more... normal or less disturbing children.   
  
The group was rather interesting. It had all started with the young girl. No one knew how old she was, because she never seemed to age. She had been there for almost ten years. When she first arrived she was quiet, shy, scared, and above all, your average child. At the timed she had seemed about seven. At least, that's what her behavior suggested. She could have been anywhere from seven to sixteen. Each person perceived her differently somehow.   
  
The day she came there had been a terrific storm. Her hair had been brown and her eyes were a dull blue. Mud coated her body, and she was soaked to the bone. She was immediately placed in the shower. Her name was Kage.  
  
Now with the dirt out of her she had long blonde hair. It sparkled really, and at the beginning had been part of what attracted the older boys in the place to her. Her eyes were another. The dullness left with the dirt, revealing sparkling blue eyes. One might even suggest that they were violet at times.   
  
The last thing about her that attracted the boys, and everyone else for that matter, was the cheerful air that surrounded her. Although she never said more than was necessary, when you talked to her, you were left with the impression that she genuinely liked you and was concerned about your happiness. She was the one that held her small group together. She was never left alone until the other girls came.   
  
Several girls had gone through the small group, but only two others ever remained. One was a teenager named Kaji. It was commonly assumed that what had originally brought the two girls together was their similar name. Other than that they were at odds with each other. Kaji had black hair she left tied in a long braid. Her eyes were a startling green. Her parents had recently visited Japan when they had her. Barely a year came the storm that had turned up Kage. Both her parents died in it. No one knew what had happened to Kage's parents.   
  
While Kage was polite but didn't speak very much, Kaji was prone to lengthy conversations. She wasn't really rude, but she was far from polite and very sarcastic.  
  
The other member of the group was a girl about five years old. She had been brought in by her mother (only fourteen herself) and was immediately taken in by Kage's group. Although her real name was Maria, after a long discussion, it was decided that she would be called Keahi Tiana. Only they ever understood why she was named that, although previous to the decision both girls could be found in the library using the internet connection to its fullest.  
  
***  
  
Fourteen years after Kaji came into the group, all the employees' efforts to keep the girls from being noticed by potential parents failed. A woman with graying blue hair (which was a bad sign in itself) started it.  
  
The woman brought in a man of about twenty. (He was obviously a son or friend. There was no way she was anywhere near that age.) Immediately after coming in they discovered Kaehi. Kaehi, being only five, brought the odd couple to meet her 'moms'. The rest was, as they say, history.  
  
All three disappeared from the center that day. Kage was the only one adopted, supposedly because she looked so much like the man's sister had when she was younger. The man's name was Shingo.  
  
***  
  
Kage frowned and adjusted her skirt. Her 'mom' said that she would be more comfortable in it, but it was just another annoyance to deal with when she was meeting her older sister. She had never worn a skirt before. 'Wearing a skirt is for them streetluts.' Within minutes she found a pair of pants that were, if a bit tight fitting, comfortable. 'Pants like this are too, but at least I've got a bit of something around my legs. I can run away from the Suits if I need to.'  
  
Flipping through the closet she found a shimmering black tank top and hurriedly put it on. Now she was almost ready to meet Usani? Usagi? She shrugged and pulled on a pair of sneakers from her older sisters closet and checked herself out in the mirror. 'Well, if I ever need to make some quick money all I gots to do is wear a bit of makeup and those boots over there.' She shook her head at the thought and ran down stairs to meet her waiting 'mom'.  
  
***  
  
"Usagi's friend Minako has a younger sister about your age. She was adopted too, so you two have something in common. Her name's Kari. Your names sound similar even." Kage's 'mom' smiled, so she smiled back despite the reminder of her home at the orphanage with the other girl whose name was similar to hers. 'Kaji...' The van stopped. "Well, here we are! Have a good time Kage!" Kage climbed out and slammed the door to make sure it closed. As the van drove off, she began her climb up the steps of the temple they were all supposedly meeting at.  
  
***  
  
'Eighty-five, eighty-six, eighty-seven, octundoctzig, nuenundoctzig... How many steps are there in this place?' Finally she was nearing the top of the stairs, and she could hear voices.  
  
"Have you met her yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
"What's her name?"  
  
"Mom said it was Kage."  
  
"You guys don't have to worry about talking and making nice to her. I'll bring her with me to the arcade."  
  
Kage had finally reached the top and could see that the last sentence was spoken by a girl about her age. 'That must be Kari.' They noticed her.  
  
"Kage?" She nodded to her sister. She recognized her from the pictures hanging on the wall at her 'home'. Kage smiled, falling back into her old routine easily.  
"You must be Usagi." She stepped forward. "I'm glad to meet you. You sure did pick a hard meeting place to get to though!" She laughed and gestured towards the stairs. "Would you mind introducing me to your friends?"  
  
Usagi nodded, apparently satisfied with her adopted sister's pleasant attitude. "This is Rei, Makoto, Ami, and Minako." She pointed at four ladies in turn. "And Yaten, Taiki, Seiya, Setunsa, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru." Minako pushed Kari forward.  
  
"This is my little sister. Her name's Kari."  
Kari glared at Minako, then turned and grinned. "Hi! Do you want to go to the arcade? Don't worry, we won't have to walk back down those steps." She pulled out a large plastic garbage can lid. "We can sit on this and ride down!" Every one groaned except for Kage, who returned the grin.  
  
"Sure!"  
  
***  
  
"So where did you come from? Before you went to the home I mean."  
"I lived in Germany for a while before my parents took me to Japan and then here. They died several years ago during a storm."   
  
Kari could see that Kage was hiding something, but didn't say anything.   
"I've got the highest score on all the games here except for those two." She pointed to a set of games about twenty years old. "The one on the right is a dancing game, and the other is martial arts. Both have you actually doing it."  
  
Kage studied them for a moment before walking over to the martial arts and slipping in a few quarters, ignoring the out-of-order sign. In front of her a person all in black appeared. Kage watched Kari playing an old game called Crazy Taxi for a second before returning to the battle.   
  
Her opponent was wearing a skirt, leotard, gloves, and a tiara. 'Whoever designed this really has some issues.' They raised an eyebrow at her and dropped into a fighting stance. Before she could press start they threw something at her. She didn't have time for any reaction other than ducking. 'So that's what it means by out of order.' She frowned and pictured the figure as a guy wearing leather pants and a spiked dog collar.  
  
"Well, what do we have here?  
  
She crouched down and swung her leg underneath it, surprised when she actually connected with something. A foot slammed down where her hand had just been.  
  
"A couple dollars is good enough for this one. Keep a good reign on her hair."  
  
She backed up enough to avoid its next attack and hit the wall. It ran towards her.  
  
"I own you! You don't leave unless I sell you to a guy as his personal slave, got it?"  
  
A blast of something hit her midsection as her fist hit its jaw. They both fell back.  
  
"What the hell are you doing? What- Shit!"  
  
A familiar sensation surrounded her as the thing threw another burst of energy.   
  
'Violet lightning hit the boy and sparkled around him.'  
  
The thing's breath faltered and  
  
'died.'  
  
It was still there, bringing her suddenly back out of the memory. Kari was running up, probably alerted by the screams from around the arcade.   
  
"Star Crystal Power! Make-UP!" Kage edged towards the entrance as she watched Kari transform into a fuku resembling her former opponent's. She bumped into a man standing and watching. He seemed to be the only other one there. He bowed.  
  
"Excuse me. I should have been watching where I was going," he mouthed the last word, but she saw it anyway. "princess." She turned away, confused. He felt like good and evil all mixed together to her. To her surprise, Kari felt blank.   
  
'What the hell am I doing thinking about what people feel like? I haven't done that since right after him.' She shook her head and ran. What happened to Kari didn't concern her; looking out for only yourself was something you learned quickly on the street. Still, she felt a bit of guilt for it. 'Please be safe.' She rerouted herself to come in through the back entrance of the arcade. 'Damn.' She was getting soft.  
  
***  
  
"World Shaking!"  
  
"Shooting Star!"  
  
The thing disappeared, leaving two people in it's place. She recognized them as Kari and Haruka.   
  
"Another phage."  
  
"Yeah... This one was stronger. It was weird though. Kage must have fought it because it was already pretty beat up."  
  
"She was an orphan, right?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
"That's probably why."  
  
They turned and walked back towards the temple after transforming out of their fukus. Kage ran to get there before them, not notice the man still watching her.  
  
'Good-bye princess. I'll be seeing you again soon.' He turned to follow Kari. 


	6. Act 4: Bring On the Night! Death Comes O...

Sailor Moon Chaos  
Act 4: Bring On the Night! Death Comes On the Wings Of Dreams.  
By Elvish Vamp and Silent Angel  
  
"Tell me again, why do you need me?"  
  
Serpens rolled his eyes, but nevertheless repeated himself. "'Cause you have the power to stop the Sailor Wars. You're one of most powerful senshi I've seen. The few who are more powerful than you don't seem keen on making appearances, if they're here." He glanced at Kari, then mumbled to himself so quietly that she couldn't hear, "And if they're even a match for you anymore."  
  
"But how do I know you're telling the truth?" Kari asked suspiciously. "What if this is all part of some big evil plot?"  
  
Serpens laughed. "I guess you don't, but that doesn't prove anything."  
  
Kari shrugged and resigned to the fact that that was probably the best answer she would be getting out of him anytime soon. That was all right though. She had plenty of other questions to ask. "Why can't I tell anyone about you?"  
  
He shifted uncomfortably. "Let's just say you're kitten and I aren't on the best terms at the moment."  
  
"Alright," Kari said shrugging, "Just one more thing. What else can I do?"  
  
* * * *  
  
Silently, Kari crept down the hallway toward her room. She glanced at her watch. It was nearly 2:00a.m.  
  
"Kari? Is that you?" Someone asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"I'm standing right here."  
  
She spun around to find Minako standing behind her, an all too familiar annoyed look on her face. "Oh."  
  
"Yeah," Minako replied. "Where were you?"  
  
"I was...umm...just...uh...going for a walk," Kari said, doing her best to look truthful. However, Minako was not convinced.  
  
"No you weren't," she protested, "It doesn't take three hours to take a walk."  
  
"Can we not do this now? I'm kinda tired," said Kari, wondering if Minako ever slept, and quickly shut herself in her room. A light under the bedroom door told Minako Kari was not tired at all, but she was too exhausted to argue anymore, and decided to get some much needed sleep.  
  
* * * *  
  
Brriiiiiiiinng. Minako groaned and rolled over, wondering who wanted to torture her like this. Brriiiiiiiinng. She reached over and picked up phone. "Moshimoshi?"  
  
"Kanichiwa, Minako!" the voice on the other line answered cheerfully. "Can I speak to Kari-chan?"  
  
"Sure, Hino," she said. "KARI! PHONE!" No answer. "HIMENO HIKARI! EITHER GET OVER HERE OR PICK UP THE OTHER PHONE!" Still no answer. Fuming, Minako forced herself to get up and trudge down the hall to Kari's room. "KARI!" She banged on the door as hard as she could without breaking it, but again got no answer. Pulling open the door, she found the room was empty. Kari had left.  
  
* * * *  
  
Yet another phage stared at the sailor senshi that stood before it. "Sailor Shadow!" The blast was headed strait for Sailor Star, but she didn't even bother to dodge. "Star Crystal Power!" The crystal that took the place of her brooch, which was no longer clear, but a light blue color, began to glow. In seconds the attack dissipated. "Supernova!" A bright flash of light momentarily blinded the phage and, before it could even comprehend what had happened, the senshi was behind it. "Shooting Star!" Just as before the attack finished it off, incinerating the phage on contact.  
  
"What did you do that for?" Serpens asked, stepping out of the shadows where he had been watching the fight. "It'll be difficult finding another phage for you to practice on."  
  
"They're just too easy to beat," Sailor Star complained, "Is there anything else, like maybe a yoma or something? At least something harder to beat than a phage?" Serpens just smiled. "Nope. It's the phages or nothing. At least for now."  
  
* * * *  
  
Everything around him was dark, and his ragged breathing was very near deafening. A scream started up behind him causing him to whirl around. No one was there.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
It was a girl's voice. She sounded much as his Usako had sounded in the nightmares Galaxia had induced.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
He turned to try once more to find the source of the voice, but still couldn't see anyone.  
  
"You can hear me, right?"  
  
He nodded then cried out. His arm was bleeding.  
  
"You really should get out. They're all around you and trying to get even closer now that they've got a taste."  
  
Her voice was ignored this time however, as he was consumed by the blackness.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Rei, you've got to help him. He's going to be eaten at this rate."  
  
Rei's head snapped up to look in the fire, but she only saw the same black that'd been there since Mamouru got sick.  
  
"He is the black. The earth is black."  
  
Rei glanced behind her, but the door was still open and showing an empty courtyard.   
  
"Who are you?"  
  
The voice didn't reply.  
  
"Answer me!"  
  
Nothing moved, and soon she bowed her head once more in prayer.  
  
"Wake up now. It's time for everyone to wake up."  
  
* * * *  
  
Kage woke up and screamed.  
  
* * * *  
  
"Mamo-chan, please be alright. You're in America right now. Minako said she might be able to find a doctor for you. I've got a little sister too. She looks a lot like me, and she seems really nice." Usagi sighed. "Please wake up Mamo-chan. Everyone's lost their powers, and we need you. I need you." 


	7. Act 5: It Takes His Death To Bring Me In

Act 5: DINGDONGDINGDONG DONGDINGDINGDONG  
  
School let out and a rush of girls ran into the sunshine. Trailing behind the rest was a fourteen-year-old girl with long blue hair and pale gray eyes. "Happy birthday to me." she sang softly to herself. "Hey Miz! Wait up!" She turned around and laughed quietly as a boy carrying what looked like a million balloons rushed towards her. "Jay! What's all that for." He rolled his eyes and thrust the balloons into her hand. "You, bakka. It is your birthday today, right?" She nodded and smiled. Jay was her only friend, but could always be counted on to make her feel like she had thirty more friends every time he was around. Right now he was walking backwards in front of her, and it wasn't until too late that she realized he was going to run into something. She cried out, but he was already falling back into the bench, and into an unsuspecting girl's lap. The balloons went flying away, though in the confusion no one noticed. "Gomen ne! I should have been paying more atten." Mizu laughed. Jay never had been good at speaking to girls (other than her) and this girl wasn't making it any easier by staring at him. Then her gaze turned to Mizu, and she saw just why Jay was having trouble. The girl was smiling, but it was a little scary; like seeing a villain from a book smile because you knew they weren't smiling because they liked you. "It's alright. My name's Kaji. You're Virgo aren't you?" Mizu stammered, "Ummm, I'm not quite sure what you mean. My sign of the zodiac is Virgo, but-" Kaji waved away the questions in the teens' eyes and grabbed Mizu, pulling her toward the cemetery. "I need to talk to you now." Another smile, although this one was a bit nicer. "I live right next to the beach with a friend." She called over her shoulder, "Don't worry-she'll be back in an hour or so." They left him standing there all alone. It was the last time anyone saw Jay Moore alive. *** When they reached the ocean, Mizu wrenched her arm out of the older girl's grasp. "What did you mean by 'Virgo?'" Kaji frowned and pulled out a red wand with a strange silver symbol in it. She whispered something and suddenly was surrounded in light. When the light died down, Mizu was standing next to a girl wearing a short red skirt and a silver leotard. "I am Sailor Celestial, and you are Sailor Virgo." Mizu backed away. "Long ago there was a beautiful kingdom on the moon. This age was called the Silver Millennium, and peace reigned throughout the galaxies. Unfortunately, a force called chaos began working to destroy our harmony. It was sealed into the body of a sailor soldier, Galaxia. It began to consume her, and brought evil, like Queen Beryl, Pharoh 90, and Queen Nehelenia to Earth."  
  
"What happened to the moon kingdom?"  
  
Kaji sighed. "Sorry, I forgot to tell that part, didn't I?" Mizu nodded. "The queen of the moon, Selenity, had two daughters, although the rest of the galaxy only knew of one. She was Princess Selenity, who now lives here as a girl named Usagi Tsukino. The moon was attacked, and in a last effort to save her kingdom and daughters, our queen sent everyone to earth to be reborn. Princess Selenity was reborn with the powers to become a senshi so she could fight for earth with her guardians, Sailor Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Neptune, Pluto, and Uranus. The princess became Sailor Moon, and her love is now Tuxedo Kamen.  
  
"On the other side of the moon lived the second princess of the moon, who wasn't even supposed to exist. She was hidden from the universe in hopes of protecting her. She too had guardians, who never should have existed either. Their names were Sailor Aquarius, Celestial, Virgo, and Aries. She also had two dear friends who served as guardians as well, Sailor Star and Sailor Mirai. These two were perhaps the most powerful of her protectors. All of us would sacrifice ourselves in a second to save our princess. We were sent to earth as well, and now we have to find each other again and search for our princess. Chaos, which Sailor Moon dispelled several years ago, is back, and took the other senshi's powers. We have to be the ones to destroy it and save the world this time. We need you."  
  
Mizu backed up again, shaking her head. "This is a real nice joke and all, but even if it was true-I'm not sacrificing my life for some princess I don't even know. Even you don't know her! Jay was right-I shouldn't have gone with you."  
  
She was about to walk away when Kaji threw something at her. "Keep it. If you get into trouble, say Virgo Make-Up." She smirked, as if enjoying some sort of inside joke. "And if you change your mind, you can come to my apartment since you won't be able to go home for a while." With that, Kaji started to jog back towards an apartment complex. Mizu thought for a second before running back to find Jay. He'd have a field day with this. *** "Hey, listen. I don't have any money with me, so why don't you go talk to someone else," Jay said to the thing standing in front of him. It hissed and lunged toward him. He tried to dodge its attack, but tripped. Before he knew what was happening, it was on top of him, powering up an attack. It ripped his throat out, and he had a vague picture of Mizu running in screaming, but then everything was black, so none of it mattered anymore, because it was quiet. So, so quiet. *** "Virgo Make-UP!" The thing Kaji had tossed to her glowed and surrounded her with a water filled wind. Not waiting for it to die down, she screamed the first thing the popped into her head. "Ice storm!" The water surrounding her froze and shot at the figure getting off of Jay's bloodied form. The thing was quickly encased in a blanket of ice. Sailor Virgo reached up, and found what looked vaguely like a gun. She aimed, fired, and missed. She collapsed saying, "I can't do it."  
  
"Shooting star!" A ball of fire hit the ice, destroying both it and the thing inside. Mizu looked up to see another senshi watching her with a slight smile on her face. This one's smile looked genuine, however it was somehow worse that Kaji's. Miz ran, detransforming as she went and not noticing that the gun she'd dropped had disappeared. She was almost to her house when she realized it. "She was right-I can't go back."  
  
Her path changed abruptly to the beach. Avoiding the more quiet sections of town, she quickly lost herself in crowds. An hour of dodging and looping back, found her in front of a door knocking. Kaji opened it smirking, although that quickly dropped to a more concerned look, and nodded, seeing the girl's state. Mizu followed her in, crying. *** "Gemini, I saw another senshi today. It looked like her boyfriend or something just got killed.I feel kind of sorry for her." She grinned. "But, if the senshi keep showing up like this, I won't need to worry about looking!" *** "Mizu..." She didn't move. "Mizu, you can't sit here and lay around! The school is wondering what happened to you, and-and even more people could die while you're trying to get over him." Kaji's voice softened. "There was nothing you could do. If anything, I should have let you go earlier." The blue-haired girl only shook her head. It had been over a week since she'd collapsed into the apartment crying, but she had yet to move from her spot by the window for more than a few minutes. Kaji watched her a few minutes longer before sighing and walking to the door.  
  
"If you decide to actually get moving, I'll be nearby."  
  
The door shut and Mizu allowed a small smile. 'Kaji's taken such good care of me over the past week; it really isn't fair that she has to deal with other problems too.' "Guess it wasn't that great of a birthday present, was it?" The senshi spun around, but no one was there.  
  
Mizu was already out the door.  
  
*** The scene hadn't changed much, except that the woman was now holding a sword in her hand and preparing to plunge it into Kaji's body. Virgo's transformation was instantaneous-the gun appeared with the fuku, and was fired without a thought of aiming. However, it had the desired effect; the woman whipped around to see the senshi who'd fired it. Scowling, she backed off and disappeared. "Kaji!" The girl smiled up at her savior, taking the offered hand for support while standing. The pair didn't notice the man standing nearby. "Glad to see you caught that one kid. I'd hate to see all my hard work go to waste." Virgo hesitated and glanced behind her, but he was already gone.  
  
***  
  
"Princess, they're awakening and it's time for you to do the same."  
  
*** Virgo removed her tiara and sighed as the now-familiar wind swirled around her, removing the senhi's fuku. She opened her eyes and gasped, seeing a face right in front of her. She caught a glimpse of Jay's long brown hair before it was swept under the coat he was wearing. "Jay..." He winked and walked through her. She winced, then blinked and turned around. The park was empty. "What'd you say?" Miz shook herself slightly. "Nothing. I just thought that." She trailed off. It wouldn't do any good to say she was seeing her best friend. Not when he had already been dead for a week. She searched for a new topic. "Have you found any other senshi?" She glanced at Kaji. Apparently she hadn't, judging by the way her shoulders had slumped.  
  
"No. Really, one could walk by me right now and I wouldn't even know it."  
  
"How did you know I was one then?" This time the older girl looked troubled, and hesitated before answering. "I'm not really sure. I had had a dream. There was this voice telling me that I had to be sitting in that bench at that time, and that I had to take a girl away from there alone." She shrugged. "Somehow I just knew that you were the girl, and that you'd be back." Miz merely nodded, satisfied with this answer and unwilling to add any more to the conversation. Kaji, as if noticing this, continued on her own. "Back on the moon kingdom you were pretty famous with the rest of us. You're something of a psychic already, ya?" She grinned. "But what you've got now is nothing to back then. We'd walk up to you, say 'I lost-' and you'd already be telling us where our necklace or pencil had gone." She slung her arm around the smaller girl's shoulders, pulling her closer. "It was up to me to make sure you weren't swallowed whole by the mobs of" "Six people?" Kaji sighed. "Nah. There were more than that. But you're right. I guess we didn't really have mobs precisely. It was more like.large clusters of five or six." "Who were the other people?" "Hmmm. Well, there were the guardian cats. What were their names? Oh yeah: Luna, Artemis, and Gemini. They were always fun to be around. Luna and Artemis didn't come too often since they were supposed to be helping the queen, but Gemini was completely Star's. Come to think about it, they were kind of hard to separate. Ah well. There was also our messenger dude. He was pretty cool. Don't remember his name though. Every couple weeks he'd come and visit and bring news from the other side of the moon. Last time I saw him was" Suddenly she fell silent and stared at the apartment building before her. "Hey-you're gonna need some new clothes, right? Why don't you take my credit card and shop for a while? It'd probably do some good to get out more. And don't worry about the money. They'll find you if you use yours, and I can always get more." Miz nodded, and after making sure her credit card was in good hands, Kaji jogged towards a closing elevator.  
  
Without Kaji's constant monologues, Mizu was suddenly aware of how quiet everything was. Although there were groups of people all around here, she couldn't hear anything. She glanced around nervously for an explanation. "Miz!" Mizu whipped around, only to meet a crowd of strange faces. The sound of talking once more washed around her as she ran towards the closest store. *** "He's going to get eaten. They've already got a taste." The girl looked over at the stranger. "How can you be here?" she asked, curious as to why another was in her dream. He snickered and continued watching the man surrounded by darkness. "I'm dead. Not a lot you can't do 'cept carry on a decent conversation." She nodded and leaned against him. "You're warm." "That's what your power can do, princess." She backed away, relaxing only once he'd disappeared. In the darkness, Mamouru let loose another scream.  
  
"Kage? Are you all right?" The fourteen year old blinked and backed away from the mirror, the vision already fading from her mind as she raced down the stairs to meet Kari. "Coming!" Kage searched for her friend while running, but didn't see her in time. "Kari-oooph!" Both girls cried out in surprise as Usagi's sister tripped over Minako's. Kage picked herself up carefully then helped up her friend. "Sorry," she mumbled, face red. Kari had a suspicious look on her face. "What?" "I said I'm sorry." Kari grinned and said, "What?" again, a little too innocently. "SORRY!" Kari backed away holding her ear. "I was just asking. Jeez." Kage grinned. "I know that. Hey-do you wanna rent some boats? We could go row row row our boat." Gemini snuck after her charge as in the background, Usagi smiled. It was nice to see how her sister was warming up to Kari so fast. Minako had been worried, but Kage's attitude was cheerful enough to rival her own. It was as if they really were related. 'And this time there's no hypnotism or anything involved.' She thought happily as she too left. *** The two girls were running now, and Gemini was hard pressed to catch up.  
  
"Hey Gemini!" The guardian spun around, only to come face to face with a man wearing a long, dark green trench coat. His eyes twinkled cheekily from behind long chestnut strands of hair. Her fur immediately stood on end as goosebumps washed over her skin.  
  
"Come on, don't be like that. I know you've gotta remember me." Gemini hissed at him, although she didn't yet remember where this sudden dislike for the stranger came from. She almost felt bad seeing the look of disappointment that crossed his face before that infuriating laughter overcame his eyes once more. "I guess even now ya don't forgive me... Oh well." He nodded to himself and started walking away. She fought with herself for a moment before calling after him, but no one was there to answer, and by the time she turned back around, both Kari and Kage had disappeared. ***  
  
Kari was gazing up at the sky umtil someone bumped into her. "Hey!" It wasn't for another moment that she realized she was alone in the boat.  
  
"Kari! Come on-I'll race ya to the other side!" Kari grinned, forgetting all about the incident.  
  
***  
  
"She's not there anymore." Gemini glared at the young man next to her, but the only response was a dramatic sigh as he sat down. He grinned. "Of course, m'lady, you already knew that-didn't you." Overcoming her hatred of the man she nodded and looked curiously at his figure, actually studying him for the first time.(1) "Who are you, and why do I hate you?" His face fell. "You don't remember." It wasn't a question. She waited as he searched for some sign of recognition. "Ah well, you'll remember soon enough. The dark man's coming and all." He smirked and started to walk away. "We're all going to Nebraska. Bring out your dead cuz the dark man's coming." He paused. "Or is it dark lady now?" He shrugged and continued on, singing now. "Wait! Who's the dark lady? What-" A burst of wind surrounded her, whispering in her ear. When she looked back, he was gone. "You've got to choose because she already has. Are you his or not?" The guardian shook the words from her mind and hurried to find Kari.  
  
***  
  
"The dark's all here and we're all drowning in it. All we know's that it's not gonna stop coming until she brings in the light. Are you ready for that?"  
  
"Who are you?" He glanced back over at the girl shivering next to him, rolling his eyes. "Why does everyone ask me that?" He bowed his head, laughing darkly, then looked back up at her. She screamed.  
  
"I don't want you here!" She shuddered and inched away from the souless specter before her. His faceless grin remained, a pulsating power in the dark. "You're different now." His grin only became wider at this. "Stop! I-You were him. From the dreams." He smirked now and stood up. "Of course, but people change, and it helps that I'm dead. All the rotting of my skin..." For a brief instant she saw his true form and cried out, turning away from the horror. "All right, calm down. I'm not here for you yet." He became the man once more, but she could no longer see him, only the rotted flesh from beneath. Seeing this he sighed and started to walk away. "It's different, being dead. You suddenly get back all the jobs, all the duties you shirked during life, saying you didn't know you had them. Start getting ready, princess. They may not know it, but they're gonna be your pretest." She ran to catch up. "Then what does that make you?" she asked coldly. He seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Finally someone in your family's got a spine." "You didn't answer my question." He smirked. "If they're the pretest? Well my dear, I guess that'd make me the final exam." She fell behind, confused, as he vanished past Mamouru, only barely visible through the darkness. Far away, two senshi chuckled.  
  
The man with no face was back. "Are you ready?" "Get out! Leave me alone!" The man slid back to the shadows, leaving the blonde alone in her dreaming. She gazed into the dark for a few minutes longer, searching for a sign of her elder sister's prince, but he was too far gone to see. "Wait any longer and there won't be anything there to see." She screamed and scrambled away, leaving him grinning at her, sparkling with a purple electricity. "I ask again, are you ready?"  
  
1-AHHH! She's checking him out! Ahahahahahahahahaha! *falls over* Everyone else: *sweatdrop* 


	8. Act 6: Every Single Thing Goes Wrong

Act6: Every Single Thing Goes Wrong  
  
Everything was dark. It was always dark. Kari knew this place. It was the dark side of the moon. Strange, she thought, that a senshi of light could survive in such a place, but there she was. It was where she was needed. Where she belonged. "Star? You out there?" Kari whirled around to see a woman wearing a strapless baby blue dress, barely long enough to be acceptable, peeking out of the doors of a palace. She too was wearing a dress, though hers was a long, flowing sleeveless dress, white lined in gold. The woman stepped through the door, closing it behind her, and approached Star. She had long wavy blonde hair, parted on the side, and sparkling blue eyes. "Aries has been looking all over for you," she stated matter-of- factly. "Figured you might wanna know so you can get in there before she comes out here and kills you." "What's she want?" Kari asked, a bit confused. "Dunno, but I would highly suggest finding her if you value your life," the woman told her seriously, "She's getting pretty frustrated." Kari shrugged. "In a few minutes." A moment of silence. "You're not going, are you?" It wasn't a question, but Kari answered anyway. "I don't know." She shrugged again. "Maybe." The woman opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment they both heard a faraway sound. It was strange to say the least. "What was that?" Kari asked. Her friend shrugged to indicate that she had no idea, but she didn't seem the least bit worried. "Let's go check it out," she said. "That's what we're here for, right?" "Right," Kari answered. Together, they started walking cautiously toward where they thought the sound had come from. Soon they were far away from the palace; though they could still see it, Kari doubted anyone near it could see them. "Is anyone out here?" Seemly out of nowhere, a man stepped in front of her. Even in such dim light, she recognized him immediately. "Serpens!" Kari grinned. He held a sword, she noticed, completely silver, except for the sapphire eyes of the serpent engraved on the handle. "What's that for?" she asked, confused and more than a little curious. Serpens smiled slightly. "If you come closer I'll show you." Kari obediently took a step toward him and gasped as she felt a sudden pain. She looked down to see the end of the sword patruding from her stomach and the rapidly spreading red stain on her dress. "Wha-What the hell do you think you're doing?" her friend screamed, sounding almost hysterical. The pain of Serpens pulling the sword out seemed strangely far away. Kari swayed for a moment before falling to the ground. "She said she'd rather die..." What did he mean by that? It didn't matter, because at that moment, everything faded to black.   
* * * *  
Kari woke in a cold sweat, and it took her a moment to realize that she wasn't on the moon and she defiantly wasn't dead. "It was just a dream," she whispered. "Just a dream." She couldn't seem to shake the feeling that it was something more, though. It had seemed so real... Kari decided a walk might help her think, or at least forget about her dream for a little while. She quickly got out of bed and got ready. It didn't take long. She was used to leaving in a hurry. As she stepped outside, she noticed it was still dark out and absentmindedly wondered just how early it was. Gemini slipped out behind her, unnoticed.   
* * * *  
Two senshi stood facing each other in fighting stances. One, dressed in yellow and blue fuku, was Sailor Star. The other, dressed in black fuku, was one of many sailor phages. The phage powered up an attack, which it then sent hurtling toward Sailor Star. She easily dodged it, then dropped to the ground and swung her foot under the phage, knocking it off its feet. The phage quickly got back up and powered up another attack. Star ducked that one and yelled "Supernova!" A flash of bright light, then she was standing behind the phage. "This is getting too easy," she muttered. Realizing its opponent was behind it, the phage spun around. She sidestepped its next attack, then yelled "Shooting Star!" It failed to dodge and was incinerated. "You would think it would be easier to find possibly the only other senshi around here," she muttered and continued walking, detransforming as she went. Kari had been wandering around for at least an hour now. She decided that she might as well do something useful rather than waste her time, so she was searching for the senshi whose boyfriend or whoever he was had been killed. The problem was those damn phages kept attacking. They were easy enough kill, but it was getting rather annoying. About two blocks later, seemingly out of nowhere, Serpens stepped out in front of her. He had a habit of doing that. At any other time, Kari would have loved to talk to him but, she didn't really feel like it then. "Do you spend all day following me around or something?" she asked. He smiled slightly. "Perhaps." "Great," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "I've been caught by my own personal stalker! My day is complete!" His smile faltered. "What's the matter, Star?" "My name's Kari! I just need to be alone right now..." Kari tried to walk past Serpens, but a sword appeared in his hand and he held it out to block her way. Her first thought was that she couldn't believe he was too lazy to step the couple feet it would take to block her, after all, he had taken the time to head her off. She was about to duck under the sword and continue walking when she noticed. It was completely silver, except for the sapphire eyes of the serpent engraved on the handle. "No...no way," she muttered. "It wasn't real...it can't be." "What's wrong?" Serpens asked. Kari glared up at him, and he was slammed into the side of a brick building. "I need some time to think," she whispered, rushing past him.   
* * * *  
"You filthy snake!" Gemini hissed at Serpens. She knew he couldn't hear her, she was too far away, and it was probably for the best, considering he was a powerful evil person with a sword and she was a kitten. She wanted so much to attack him like she hadn't had the chance to last time, but there were others matters to attend to. Gemini turned and followed Kari, at a safe distance of course.   
* * * *  
Minako jumped as the front door flew open of its own accord. Kari stormed into the house, the door slamming behind her, and headed straight for her room. She wanted some answers, and she thought she knew who had them. "Gemini!" The moment the door opened, Kari quickly scanned the room. It was deserted. "Where the hell did that damn cat go?" Kari cried out in frustration. Nothing seemed to be going her way today. She spun around, ready to leave again, this time in search of her cat, but Gemini was sitting in the hall behind her. "We need to talk." Kari smiled thinly. "What a coincidence! I was just thinking the same thing. Let's start with this. What are you hiding from me?" Gemini ignored this and continued. "Serpens is evil," she said. "He was always evil and will always be evil! Is that really so hard to understand?" "It's more complicated than that!" Kari yelled angrily. "What do have against him anyway? What did he ever do?" "He killed you!" Kari was silent, a shocked _expression on her face. Then she took a step back. "No!" she cried, shaking her head and taking another step back. "No way! You're lying!" "I'm not," Gemini said gloomily. Kari stood there a moment longer before running outside and slamming the door behind her, only one thing on her mind.   
* * * *  
"Kari?" Hino hesitated a moment as she watched her friend run outside and down the street before running after her. She knew better than to bother Kari when she was upset, people who tried that had a tendency to get hurt, but she was too concerned about her to let her run off like that. "Kari!" For a moment, Hino thought she had hesitated too long, that she wasn't going to be able to catch up, but Kari stopped at the corner. "Kari? Are you alright?" Kari glared at her. She seemed close to tears. "Do I look alright?" she hissed. "Sorry.I just.I wanna help." "Well you can't." "Why not?" Hino snapped. "You don't understand," Kari said, suddenly so quiet Hino could hardly hear her. "You could never understand." Hino opened her mouth to ask Kari what she was talking, why couldn't she understand, when a figure appeared behind Kari. "What the-" Another one appeared to Hino's right, and another to her left, all dressed in black fuku. Before she had time to react, three more had appeared behind her. Kari glared at the newcomers in annoyance. She knew could take care of the phages easily, but not like this. Not with Hino here. "Hino," she said. "Run." Hino looked at her friend in confusion. "B-but..." What the hell was going on? Why was Kari suddenly so calm? "Don't worry about me." Kari glanced back at Hino, smiling slightly. "Just run. Unless you'd rather die." Hino hesitated another moment, then turned and ran. She'd hesitated a moment too long. She got no more than a few feet before one of the phages knocked her to the ground. Hino tried to pull herself up, but it was on top of her powering up it's fatal attack. Kari hadn't transformed because Hino was there, but it now seemed she had no choice. She did so and turned to destroy the phage attacking Hino when it burst into flames. A second later it was gone, leaving only Hino lying there, her eyes glowing an eerie shade of red and a symbol on her forehead. "Aries..." Kari shook her head. "No! No way! That's not possible!" She turned and ran, not knowing where she was going and not caring.   
* * * * "STAR! STAR!" Aries looked around frantically, hoping in vain to find at least some sign of the missing senshi. "WHERE ARE YOU STAR?! COME ON! THIS IS SERIOUS!" "Sorry..." She had been so worried about finding Star that she had run straight into a woman with long wavy blonde hair, parted on the side, and sparkling blue eyes. The woman, wearing a strapless baby blue dress, barely long enough to be acceptable, looked as if she'd been crying, but that didn't bother her in the slightest. At the moment, she could only think of one thing. "Where's Star? Did you find her?" The woman either ignored her question or hadn't heard it. "It's gone, isn't it? The Moon Kingdom's gone..." Aries just stared at her in shock. "She said she'd rather die," she muttered. "She didn't want to be alone on this rock..." Aries finally snapped out of her stupor. "W-What do you mean 'she'd rather die?'" The woman seemed to hear her this time. She stared at Aries for a moment, as if trying to figure out how to put it. "Her worst fear was that the Moon Kingdom would be destroyed. I always thought it was irrational, that the Moon Kingdom would always be there..." She laughed. "She told us she'd rather die." "Us?" "Me and Serpens. She didn't want to be around for its destruction. She told us she'd rather die than see the Moon Kingdom before. I guess she got her wish..." "She's...Is she...dead?" She nodded silently, then burst into tears 


	9. Act 7: Mirrorworld of Untrue Tales

Act 7:  
  
Act7: Mirrorworld of Untrue Tales  
  
Mizu blinked as a girl pushed past her. It was still early enough that there weren't too many people about to move with ease, but there was a good- sized crowd. Why should this one girl seem so important to her?  
  
"Go after her. That's what you want to do, right?"  
  
Mizu nodded to the voice, somewhat used to it by now, and spun around. It took a moment to spot the girl again, but after only a second's hesitation, she was dashing after the brown-haired stranger.  
  
"Wait! Hey, person! Wait up! Won't you - jeez!" They'd both run far beyond the crowds of the streets and were now sprinting through a forest that, strangely enough, Mizu had never before noticed in all the time she'd lived in the area. Even with her increased stamina from being a senshi and being athletic in school, it was still difficult to keep up with this girl, who didn't seem to be having any trouble at all. "Maybe I should just give up. . . ." she muttered to herself. Suddenly the one she was pursuing stopped, leaning against a tree, panting. Mizu hurried over, hoping the girl wouldn't start again at her presence.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Mizu hesitated. She couldn't well say that she'd been told by a guy she'd seen killed to follow her. She decided on a question of her own as she too lent against a tree, sliding down to sit on the damp leaves. "How in the world can you run so fast? I used to think I was pretty good, but that was - that was amazing."  
  
Kari studied her pursuer. She had long blue hair, reaching down to her thighs, though as it was in a braid now, it was probably actually longer, and pale grey eyes. The thing that caught her attention most though was the slight glow she was giving off, a blue one. Kari shook her head. Two senshi in one day? Sure she'd been looking for them, but this just really wasn't a good time. She sighed. At least this girl wasn't someone she knew. Or was she? Kari pursed her lips, thinking back. She could be that senshi she'd seen before. "Transform."  
  
Mizu glanced up in surprise before it hit her - really, why she hadn't noticed before was beyond her. There really wasn't much difference aside from a change in costume. This was the girl who'd killed Jay's assassin. She nodded sharply. "If you do."  
  
There was a moment.  
  
"Star Crystal Power! Make-UP!"  
  
"Virgo Make-UP!"  
  
Blue and gold flashes filled the area for a second then both were standing again, circling each other curiously.  
  
"So are you looking for the others too?"  
  
Virgo shook her head. "The girl I'm staying with is though. Sailor Celestial."  
  
Star nodded thoughtfully. So it was possible that other bands of senshi would form, and all she'd need to do was meet one to find the rest. That was a possibility she hadn't thought of before that certainly made things easier. "I'm Sailor Star." She thought about mentioning the senshi she'd found, Aries, but decided against it. Hino didn't know anything yet, and couldn't protect herself if it turned out this girl was on the wrong side. She fished around for something to say. "That guy - you knew him?"  
  
Virgo winced. "Straight to the point, huh?" She sighed. It was probably her fault for interrupting the other senshi when she was obviously upset. "Yeah. . . . He's - he was my best friend. . . . My only friend really. Thanks by the way, for killing that thing. I guess I'm just not cut out for the killing stuff." When Star said nothing, she added, "What's got you so upset?"  
  
Star blinked and shook her head. "Nothing, really. I've just begun remembering bits of my past life, and it's sort of hard."  
  
Suddenly Mizu was no-longer transformed. "I haven't begun remembering yet, but the girl I'm with has. Her name's Kaji." She pressed her fingers to her temples, frowning. "There's someone else with a name like that. I can't - think - of it." Kari too detransformed, crouching down next to the other girl, who was now curled into a little ball. "We have to find her. The princess doesn't know yet, and without her we have no chance. . . . It's dark for her. There's something there but what is it? Why is everything so black? It in all the mirrors, just like before, but it's in shadows too and what is it what - ow!"  
  
Kari had slapped her. The other senshi was frightening her. When the girl seemed to have calmed down she helped her up. "Are you all right now?"  
  
Mizu frowned. "Why wouldn't I be all right?" She paused. "Why was I on the ground, anyway?"  
  
Kari backed up slightly. If this girl couldn't remember what she was doing all the time, she could be dangerous to have around, for now at least. "My name's Kari, in case you wanted to know."  
  
"Mizu."  
  
"You were saying something about a princess and it being dark for her and -"  
  
"Mirrors. I remember now." Mizu smiled. "I get visions, but the more intense ones tend to just hit and run, and then I can't remember anything for a bit." It was true, but now that the dream had been mentioned everything was coming back to her. For a second she was back in the black room then her expression cleared. She had one thought still with her from that time that seemed particularly important at the moment, and although she knew it would only upset the other girl further; somehow she knew it was also important for her to say. First she had to get far enough away though. Kari wasn't entirely calm yet, and could very well decide she was an enemy. She began walking away, in the direction she thought would lead back home. If not, she could always call Jay over. He should appear to help, right? Finally she was far enough away. "By the way," she called back, voice barely audible to Kari. "Serpens says hi."  
  
A golden blast hit the tree she'd been in front of, but she was already sprinting back where she'd come from. Hopefully the other senshi would forgive her for that.  
  
***  
  
"So who do you think it is? I mean, it's kinda hard to get a good look at her in all that darkness," wondered a senshi with long blonde hair.  
  
A girl that could be her twin shrugged, not glancing up from the computer she was stationed at. "I've got readings of high energy levels here, here, and here. Other areas with abnormal energy are there and there, and several places are strange in that no energy at all seems to be emitting from them. The princess could be any one of those, or she could be none of them. Then of course, we've got those traveling energies that're making their way across the galaxy towards Earth. I don't know who or what they are, but they seem to indicate that Earth is definitely going to be the battlefield again." She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Really, why is it always there? Just because the purest heart in the galaxy resides there. . . ."  
  
The other nodded. "I know. It just doesn't make sense. If you want to take over the universe, why not make the strongest fighters go somewhere it'll be harder for them to fight, rather than going to their home where you're the one with a disadvantage. Those Black Moon people from way back had the right idea. What was that one guy's name? Wiseman?" She shook her head. "The only thing they did wrong was bothering with the senshi at all. What would've worked so much better is going back in time to before the senshi awoke. Really, there's a whole couple million years there. It can't be that hard. It's a good thing we won't have to worry, right Moondust?"  
  
Sailor Moondust frowned. "Stardust, I'm not sure about that. Look at this." She pointed to a map filled with various colors indicating energy levels. "There's average to below average energies everywhere but Earth's galaxy. Once you reach there," she said, tapping the screen to enlarge the picture to focus on Earth, "you've got a whole mess of energies ranging anywhere from sub-degrees to powers rivaling that of Sailor Moon's. The only places that should be like that are our space-pockets, where Galaxia and the transformations are," she continued, this time pointing to another screen filled with a pale blue, "but those places aren't anywhere near as high- level as they should be." She spun her chair to face Stardust. "Why is Shadow sending us to that place? We'll die."  
  
Stardust shook her head firmly and walked over, wrapping an arm around the other senshi. "We'll be fine. I shouldn't be telling you this really, but here." She typed on the letterless keyboard quickly and pointed to the screen. "See that? That's where we'll be fighting in the end. Shadow isn't so stupid that she'd let those new senshi and their princess fight on earth. We're going to a place created with darkness and her energy, so they won't have anything to draw on."  
  
Moondust rested her head against Stardust's shoulder, sighing softly. "But we're going to have to go to Earth to get the princess. If we can eliminate her, we won't have to fight at all, and that's the ideal. You know that."  
  
"Yeah. I know that."  
  
***  
  
Kage skipped out the house, grinning to herself. Last night there had been no dreams of either man, so she planned on treating herself to a day with Kari. She just hoped Kari had come back by now. One of the other girl's friends had come over asking if she'd seen her. Hinotama, or something like that. She was nice - they'd probably end up friends as well. Kage shrugged. Maybe instead she should go to the park. It was nice outside, and she could see Kari any day.  
  
***  
  
A strange beeping started, softly at first, then growing more and more insistent until finally Stardust got up from her bed and padded out to the computer, sleepily cursing whoever it was that had left the speakers on. She glanced at the screen, scanning the picture quickly. Her eyes widened.  
  
"Moondust. Moondust get over here. Tell me what this looks like to you."  
  
The other girl, hair up in meatball shaped buns for sleeping, trudged out, sending a mock-glare at her senior. "What is - oh. Wow." Within seconds her fingers were flying over the keyboard until they had a picture on the screen of a girl with long golden hair walking. Another screen showed the city she was in with a golden dot beeping along. Moondust glanced over at Stardust, who was typing in some coordinates for another computer. "This is really it, isn't it? She looks just like her, and the energy levels - they're so high and wow. How does that work? That much energy should kill her, but for some reason"  
  
"All right, logic girl. Let's go. We've gotta get her before she can disappear again."  
  
Moondust nodded.  
  
"Do your stuff then."  
  
Moondust nodded again, and with a flash looked to be the same as the girl on the screen. Stardust tied up her hair into the moon princess's trademark meatballs and glanced at the screen. A click of the computer and they disappeared.  
  
***  
  
The park was empty when she got there for some reason. With a shrug, Kage plopped down onto a swing and smiled. The silence was nice.  
  
"Hello."  
  
Kage jumped off the swing, glancing about, eyes finally resting on the girl who had popped up behind her. She looked. . . . "You're me."  
  
The girl nodded, smiling. "I have something for you. Here. Take it before she gets here."  
  
Confused, Kage reached towards her mirror reflection and took her hand, expecting her to hand something over. Instead there was a crackle of energy and a jolt as something instead passed into her. She backed up. "What was that?"  
  
Another girl appeared, this one looking like Usagi but for the deep scowl on her face. "What are you doing here? Get back here before someone sees you."  
  
The two disappeared, fading out of sight like ghosts. Kage stared at her hand. Suddenly something caught her eye. The girls had dropped a mirror on the ground. She gazed into it for a moment. The girl inside laughed and she dropped the mirror. Cautiously, she picked it back up again, holding tightly to the glass.  
  
***  
  
Moondust glanced up thoughtfully, twirling her hair. "Really, I don't know how I stand it. I should just. . . . disappear. Save everyone else the trouble."  
  
Nearby, Stardust snickered. Zirconia was another one of their predecessors with good ideas.  
  
***  
  
"Disappear?"  
  
"Yeah. That's what I want to do anyway. I never really wanted to live through that time." The reflection thought for a moment. "Actually, there is one reason I should live, but right now I don't know how to do it. Everyone around me is always pushing me to be on their side, but really"  
  
***  
  
"I want to help those in the shadows. They're the ones who are my real friends. The others just want me to be their slave. That's all I am: the slave of the Sailor Senshi." Moondust smiled suddenly as Sailor Stardust walked into view. "If only I could really be with her. I wish my life could be the way it is in this mirror. I have a lover, I have friends, and I have power. I don't serve anyone, because I am the one being served, as it should be."  
  
***  
  
Kage walked through the streets, so intent on the mirror in her hands that she didn't notice Kari spot her and start following, or the rotting man who passed through her in his haste to get someone. That world wasn't important.  
  
"How can I get there? How can that happen?"  
  
The reflection smiled, reaching toward her. "Just keep watching. The mirror is all that matters here. Don't ever stop watching."  
  
Kage nodded. A strange shadow seeped through the glass toward her. She didn't care. The mirror was what mattered, nothing else. The shadow reached her eyes and began reaching through, twisting through her.  
  
***  
  
"There is one way you can really reach here."  
  
"Really? Tell me."  
  
"Not yet. You aren't ready."  
  
"TELL ME!"  
  
Moondust smiled at the girl in the mirror and shot some more of her energy into her. "If you throw me away, you'll never have happiness."  
  
The rage passed from the girl's features, replaced with fear. "You won't leave me, will you?"  
  
"No. As long as you don't make me."  
  
"That'll never happen."  
  
***  
  
Kari struggled past the crowd towards her friend. Why was she staring at that mirror and talking to it? There was a blackness surrounding her to the extent where even normal humans, who couldn't see it, avoided her. She glanced back, hearing panting and smirked. "Have any idea what's going on?"  
  
Mizu shook her head. "I just know that I need to be here. Something important is going to happen with that girl."  
  
"Her name's Kage. She's a friend of mine."  
  
Mizu nodded quickly. "She's dark. What's happening to her?"  
  
"I have no idea."  
  
***  
  
Kage reached her house and walked up the stairs. The place was empty - she vaguely remembered that Usagi and her family had gone to the mall for Christmas shopping. She'd done hers a week ago, not that it mattered. She walked into the kitchen, unaware of the sound of the front door slamming open, Kari's voice filling the air. She slid a knife out from the drawer.  
  
"Stop. They're coming!"  
  
She hastily slipped the mirror into her pocket and spun around to face Kari, a smile plastered on her face. "Hi!"  
  
Kari's eyes widened, focusing on the knife. "What're you doing?"  
  
Kage's smile disappeared for a second, then returned, full force. "Just gonna chop up some carrots. They taste pretty good in salad dressing. Do you want some?"  
  
Mizu rounded the corner, having checked the rest of the house for other people. Jay appeared behind Kage, pointing to her pocket. He nodded and disappeared.  
  
"Kage, my name is Mizu. What do you have in your pocket?"  
  
Kage's eyes narrowed. "Nothing for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to be alone right now.  
  
Kari stepped closer. "Sorry Kage." She glanced to Mizu for confirmation, then transformed. Kage snarled and tried to sidestep the senshi, but Mizu was there. In the moment it took to get around her, Kari was ready with an attack. "Shooting Star!"  
  
Kage fell. 


End file.
